Flying discs are well known in the art. So many variations of the flying disc have been invented that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has dedicated a subclass to them (currently 446/46). The best-known and most popular example of a flying disc—first marketed by Wham-O and currently by Mattel Inc. of El Segundo, Calif.—bears the trademark FRISBEE®. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,678, “In the usual embodiment the implement is made of a plastic material in a saucer shape with a rim located around the edge of the saucer, the rim having a somewhat greater thickness than the saucer portion of the implement. The rim curves downwardly from the saucer and has a configuration such that the implement when viewed in elevation approximates the shape of an airfoil.”
This airfoil shape provided by the circumferential lip of a flying disc extending out of the plane of the circular disc portion, together with gyroscopic stability from the spin imparted to the disc by the thrower, provides lift as the disc flies through a viscous medium, such as air. The lift allows the disc to overcome gravitational attraction nearly equivalent to its own weight, allowing the disc to “fly” a considerable distance. As disclosed in the above-referenced patent, perturbations on the convex (upper) surface of the disc interrupt the smooth flow of air over this surface. This creates a turbulent unseparated boundary layer over the upper surface of the disc, which reduces drag and increases stability in flight. The above-referenced patent discloses forming grooves in the (plastic) upper surface of the flying disc to create this effect.
Flying discs have been manufactured in a variety of variations on the basic shape, and using a wide variety of materials. The classic FRISBEE® is made from rigid plastic. Other flying discs have been formed from a variety of softer materials, such as neoprene, polystyrene, polyurethane foam (e.g., NERF® brand), and similar lightweight and/or deformable materials. Some flying disc designs include a rigid or deformable circumferential lip, with the central expanse of the disc comprising stretched cloth, flexible plastic, carpet, or the like. A variation of flying discs omits the “disk” portion, comprising only a circumferential ring or ring+lip configuration. A notable example of such a ring is marketed by Aerobie, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., under the trademark AEROBIE®. In 2003 Erin Hemmings broke the Guinness World Record of the “longest throw of an object without any velocity-aiding feature” by throwing an AEROBIE® ring over a quarter mile (1,333 feet).
Many flying discs formed of “soft” or deformable materials, such as NERF® brand products, are intended and marketed for use indoors. However, while these discs may not break an object, such as a lamp, upon impact, they are still quite likely to tip it over, potentially causing damage. This is due to the linear momentum of the disc in flight, which may be modeled as the disc's mass times its velocity vector, or p=m v. The relatively large mass of foam flying discs means they carry considerable linear momentum, and will impart considerable force to any objects which they strike. Additionally, the foam discs, while more elastic than hard plastic discs, tend to be relatively inelastic in collisions. That is, while a foam disk may deform slightly upon impact, it generally retains its basic shape. Since so little energy is consumed in deforming the disc's shape, the bulk of the energy is transferred to the struck object, e.g., the lamp. Accordingly, most soft or deformable flying discs are not truly well suited for normal use in a typical indoor environment. Rather, a thrower must take extreme care to control the flight path of the disc, and must be careful not to impart too much energy into the throw, with the deleterious consequence of reducing the disc's range.